The History of Liverpool Chapter One Introduction

Chapter One 

Like most Scousers, i love my city. Even when i lived "down south" for over 20 years, Liverpool remained my "home" and always in my heart. I was lucky in so many ways, that once my boys flew the nest to Music College and University, i was able to return to my home, to look after my mother. She was unable to settle down in Essex where i lived, and i was tap dancing around the house on my own, in a house far too big for me, with only occasional visits from my children looking hungry and needing petrol money - both of these things could be sorted from Liverpool and my mother needed me more, hence the move back home. My husband (best one so far), is also interested in local history and as we are semi retired, we are able to peruse the City and find information now that we have more time on our hands.... We have been looking a lot recently on Google Earth and Rightmove to check out smaller homes now that the children are all gone - in our fifties, we need a smaller house, big enough to house children and grandchildren if another COVID pandemic occurs and the Government lock us down whilst they have their parties, and still with an enormous garden - hence we check out the estate agents, then the Satalite views - that in turn, has made us more curious as to what is available on the market, but also, some of the old houses - Woolton Hall, Allerton Hall, Allerton Tower etc. As a child, i would go out to various parks with my father on Sundays, Calderstones and Sefton Park - he was a Park Policeman in those days, and i loved going to Calderstones with him and taking "ballie" with us. I have little recollection of my mother at these times, and i assume she was on night duty as a nursing sister during those years. Anyway, to move onto the actual introduction of the History of Liverpool which i took for granted as a child and growing up, i understand so much more about it now... The history of Liverpool can be traced back to 1190 AD, when it was known as 'Liuerpul', possibly meaning a pool or creek with muddy water, though i have also heard it is from "the colour of liver", other origins of the name have been suggested. Liverpool itself was founded by Royal Charter in 1207 by King John. (probaby one of the few good things he did!). It was made up of 7 streets in the shape of the letter 'H'. These were Bank Street (now Water Street), Castle Street, Chapel Street, Dale Street, Juggler Street (now High Street), Moor Street (now Tithebarn Street) and Whiteacre Street (now Old Hall Street). My first "job" whilst i had revision leave for O levels in 1983, was at the Tower Building in Water Street - as an "office junior" to a Shipping Freight Forwarder Office called Liver Freight Services Limited, i was able to travel all over the City Centre with Bills of Lading to the Pier Head; Port of Liverpool Building; Cunard Building; Bahr Behrand at INdia Building - i was somewhat in awe, but at 16 years of age, i was also quite busy trying to be "cool". Liverpool remained a small settlement until its trade with Ireland and coastal parts of England and Wales was overtaken by trade with Africa and the West Indies, which included the slave trade which everyone tries to forget. The world's first commercial wet dock was opened in 1715 and Liverpool's expansion to become a major city continued over the next two centuries. By the start of the nineteenth century, a large volume of trade was passing through Liverpool, and due to the Industrial Revolution, so many more people moved into the towns for jobs. My own family of Blackburn's and Gillespie's amongst them. In 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened. The population grew rapidly, especially with Irish migrants; by 1851, one quarter of the city's population was Irish as they were moving for a better life away from the famine and poverty. As growth continued, the city became known as "the second city of the Empire", and was also called "the New York of Europe". The City increased in size, villages around Liverpool were swallowed up by the City - Kirkdale, Bootle, Warterloo, as well as giant buildings appearing along the Dock side with an overground railway (an example can be seen at the museum of Liverpool at the Pier Head.) This was demolished in the latter part of the 20th Century. During WW2, the City was the centre for planning the crucial Battle of the Atlantic, and suffered a blitz second only to London, called the May Blitz of May 1941 - I have written a blog post about this. Night upon night, the Docks and areas close to the river were bombed relentlessly. From the mid-twentieth century, Liverpool's docks and traditional manufacturing industries went into sharp decline, with the advent of containerisation making the city's docks obsolete. The unemployment rate in Liverpool rose to one of the highest in the UK. Many teenagers would leave school with no prospect of employment, and some have not secured jobs throughout their working years. Over the same period, starting in the early 1960s, the city became internationally renowned for its culture, particularly as the centre of the "Merseybeat" sound which became synonymous with The Beatles. In recent years, Liverpool's economy has recovered, partly due to tourism as well as substantial investment in regeneration schemes. The city was the European Capital of Culture for 2008 which ploughed money into the economy, as well as the growth in Universities - Liverpool now has 5 Higher Education Universities - being John Moores; Liverpool University; Liverpool Hope University; City of Liverpool College; Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. Many of the students who come to Liverpool to study, remain after graduation which helps to boost the economy. My intention is to study each era and how industry and economy has affected different areas of Liverpool over the last 800 years, and i will try and make time to write a chapter each month... Thank you for taking time to read this! :D

History of Liverpool Street Names

This information has been lifted from another site to save it from being lost as many of these type of posts are written for study and eventually, the post or site is no longer viable. 

I want to ensure that the information is not lost. It is not my work. 

• ABERCROMBY SQUARE 7 Commemorates General Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801), Commander of the British Army in Egypt who was killed in the battle of Alexandra in 1801
• ACKERS HALL AVENUE 14 Ackers Hall was the dower house of Lady Molyneaux, the widow of Sir Patrick Molyneaux who died in 1568. Afterwards, she married William Moore of Bankhall 
• ADDISON STREET 3 Formerly Sickman's Lane or Deadman's Lane Named after Joseph Addison (1672-1719) poet, essayist and statesman. The former name was given to the country lane where, in times of plague, sufferers were isolated in cabins. If they died, the poor were buried in the vicinity. 
• AIGBURTH HALL ROAD AND 
• AIGBURTH HALL AVENUE 19 The original Aigburth Hall was a medieval building which came into the possession of the Tarleton family of Fazakerley through marriage. It was demolished and a modern building bearing the name was built on the site. That, too, has been demolished. ALBERT PARADE 3 It is a riverside walk adjacent to Albert Dock, which was opened by Prince Albert in 1846. 
• ALLERTON BEECHES 18 The name derives from a mansion built by Sir Henry Tate, to the design of Norman Shaw, called Allerton Beeches. 
• ALMA ROAD 7 Commemorates the Battle of Alma, in the Crimean War, when the Russians were totally defeated in 1854. 
• ANFIELD ROAD 4 Derived from Hangfield, the original name of Breckfield Road North. 
• ARCHERFIELD ROAD 18 The name was inspired by the so-called Archer's Stone in nearby Booker Avenue. 
• ARGYLE STREET 1 Called after John, Duke of Argyll, celebrated by Scott in "The heart of Mid-Lothian". 
• ASHFIELD 15 The house which gave the road this name was built by James Clemens, Mayor of Liverpool in 1775 when the seamen's riots took place and the Town Hall was attacked with cannon brought from their ships. 
• ASHTON STREET 13 AND ASHTON SQUARE 25 They commemorate Nicholas Ashton, owner of the Dungeon Salt Works, Hale, and a ship-owner. ATHOL STREET 5 Named after the Duke of Athol, on whom an Honourary Freedom was conferred by the Town Council BALTIMORE STREET 1 One of the streets laid out by Mr Hunter, who was engaged in the Virginia tobacco trade and lived in Mount Pleasant. BANASTRE STREET 3 Named in compliment to General Sir Banastre Tarleton, MP. Son of John Tarleton, he was born in a house on the corner of Fenwick Street and Water Street. He fought in the American Civil War. BANKHALL STREET 20 Bankhall was the second home of the Moore family. It's site was about the junction of Juniper street and Bankhall Lane but about twenty feet above the present ground level. It was demolished in 1770 BARKHILL ROAD 17 Named after a mansion called `Barkhill' on Mossley Hill, first occupied by Thomas Adison who was succeeded by James Howell, a cotton broker. In 1845, Howell's daughter named a ship `Barkhill' from the Baffin Street yard of Thomas Royden. BASNETT STREET 1 Laid out between 1770 and 1780 by the Basnett family of which Christopher was the founder. He was the first minister of Key Street Chapel (licensed in 1707), the meeting place of the Protestant Dissenters. BATH STREET 3 The name derives from the sea-water baths erected about 1765. They were demolished in 1817 to make way for Princes Dock. BEACONSFIELD ROAD 25 Derives from Beaconsfield House, a mansion built by Ambrose Lee, a solicitor and property owner, who laid out the road. He is thought to have named it in allusion to the beacon on Woolton Hill. BEAUFORT STREET 8 Named after the Duke of Beaufort, formerly the Marquis of Worcester, who was the guardian of Charles William, 8th Viscount Molyneux and 1st Earl of Sefton, who was orphaned when eight years of age. Beauclair Drive 15 Named after the Duke of St Alban's family, the Beauclerks, who inherited the Speke Estate of the Norris's BEECHWOOD ROAD 19 The name derives from the mansion called Beechwood House, one of a group of Grade Two listed buildings. BELOE STREET 8 Named in compliment to Charles Henry Beloe, a civil engineer, who sat as a Liberal for Abercromby Ward on Liverpool City Council from 1892 to 1902. BENSON STREET 1 Called after John Benson, the refractory juryman referred to in one of the Letters of Junius addressed to Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench. BENTLEY ROAD 8 It was named after a thatched cottage in Lodge Lane which was William Roscoe's last home and where he died in 1831. BERRY STREET 1 Originally Colquitt Street. Henry Berry, Liverpool's second dock engineer, lived in a house on the north-east corner of Duke Street. BEVINGTON BUSH 3 It was the name of a thickly wooded valley between Bevington Hill and Everton Hill. An inn on Bevington Hill was called `The Bush'. BIRCHFIELD STREET 3 It was laid out through a field called Birchfield on which three houses were built, one of them owned by William Roscoe, who also owned the field. BIXTETH STREET 3 Alderman Thomas Bixteth, Mayor of Liverpool in 1701, was complimented by the Corporation for having paved the street in front of his house with his own hands. BLACKBURN PLACE 8 John Blackburn, Mayor of Liverpool in 1760, lived in Blackburn House between 1785 and 1790. BLACK HORSE LANE 13 Formerly Black Moss Lane The former name referred to one of the bogs, or mosses by which Liverpool was surrounded for centuries. The present name derives from the original inn of that name at the Prescot Road corner of the lane. BLACKROD AVENUE 24 The name of an estate near Bolton was granted to Hugh le Norris of Speke by John, Count of Mortain in the 12th century. BLACKWOOD AVENUE 25 It takes it's name from the Black Wood, which appears on an enclosure map of 1813, when it was owned by Bamber Gasgoyne of Childwall Hill. BLAKE STREET 3 Named after Admiral Robert Blake (1599-1657), who became commander of Parliamentary forces during the Civil War but, in 1649, was appointed General-at-Sea and won several victories against Prince Rupert, the Dutch and the Spaniards. BOLD STREET 1 Named after Jonas Bold, who leased land from the Corporation on which St Luke's Church and a ropery owned by James and Jonathon Brookes were built. BOLTON STREET 3 Perpetuates the memory of John Bolton who, 1803, raised and equipped 800 men at his own expense. They became known as Bolton's Invincibles. On December 20th, 1805, Bolton fought and won the last duel to take place in the town. BOOKER AVENUE 18 Josias Booker was a West India merchant who lived in Poplar Grove, Allerton. He was one of the founders of St Anne's Church, Aigburth. BOTANIC ROAD 7 It was here that the second Botanic Gardens were established. BOUNDARY STREET 5 It marks the aincient boundary between Liverpool and Kirkdale. BOWRING PARK AVENUE 16 Sir William Benjamin Bowring gave to the city Ropy Hall and Park which was renamed Bowring Park. BRECK ROAD 4 Breck is an Old English word meaning uncultivated land. BRECKFIELD ROAD NORTH 5 Formely Hangfield Lane. Hangfield or hongfield means an ancient division of land. BRIDGEWATER STREET 1 Commemorates the completion of the Bridgewater canal in 1773. BRIDPORT STREET 3 Named after Admiral Lord Bridport (1726-1814), a brother of Lord Hood who was second in command of the "Glorious First of June", 1794, when the French were defeated in a battle fought 400 miles west of Ushant. BRODIE AVENUE 18 & 19 John Alexander Brodie, Liverpool's City Engineer (1898-1925). In 1891, he invented and patented football nets and, in 1901, he patented the idea of prefabricating houses from reinforced concrete slabs. He also introduced the idea of using central reservations for tramcars. The first reserved track, Edge Lane to Broad Green, was completed in 1914. BROOKS ALLEY 1 Joseph Brooke, a merchant and a ropemaker, lived in a house in Hanover Street which had an ornamental garden through which the alley was laid. BROOKLANDS ROAD 13 Named after the Venerable Archdeacon Brooks (1775-1855), Rector of Liverpool, who owned land in the vicinity. BROUGHAM TERRACE 6 Henry Peter, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, was a lawyer, Whig politician and Lord Chancellor of England. He was a friend of the Rev. William Shepherd, minister of Gateacre Unitarian Chapel, and it was Brougham who composed Shepherd's memorial tablet in that chapel. BROWNLOW HILL & STREET 3 One of the meanings of the word "low" is hill and so Brownlow Hill means simply "brown hill" BRUNSWICK ROAD 6 Formerly Folly Lane. It is said that while a painter engaged in repainting street signs was temporarily absent, a lady sympathetic to Caroline, the ill-used consort of George IV, boldly chalked "Brunswick Place" on the original sign. The painter on returning and seeing the alteration, assumed it had been made by someone in authority and so he copied it. Later Brunswick Place became Brunswick Road. Islington was originally called Folly Lane but it was extended to include Brunswick Road. The Folly was a tall tower built by a man named Gibson on the site now occupied by Wellington Column. At the foot of the tower were pleasure gardens. BUTTON STREET 2 John Button was granted a lease on the land through which the street was cut in 1722. He recorded his vote in 1784, having lived through the reigns of six monarchs of England. BYROM STREET 3 Formerly Towns End Lane or Dog Kennel Lane. It was named after George Byrom, a pavior and builder, who had a yard nearby. The former names derived from Towns End, the name for the end of Dale Street and from the neighbouring kennels of the Corporation supported pack of hounds. CAMDEN STREET 3 Sir Charles Pratt, 1 st Earl of Camden (1713-1794) was called to the Bar in 1738. He was Lord Chancellor (1766-1770), President of the Council (1782-1794) and was created Earl of Camden in 1786. CAMPBELL STREET 1 Formerly Pot House I.ane. George Campbell, a West India merchant and sugar boiler, was Mayor of Liverpool in 1763. The name Pot House Lane derived from a pottery. CANNING PLACE 1 By a resolution of the Council in May, 1832, `it was named out of respect to the memory of the late Right Honourable George Canning to whose exertions the Council are so mainly indebted in the assistance afforded them in carrying into effect the plan for erecting a new Custom House and other Revenue Buildings on the abovementioned site.' CARLTON STREET 3 Carlton was the name of a leading member of the board of the City of Dublin Packet Company whose premises were nearby. CARNATIC ROAD 18 The first Carnatic Hall was built by Baker and Dawson, owners of the privateer `Mentor', out of part of the proceeds of the sale resulting from the capture of the French EastIndiaman `Carnatic' in 1799. CARPENTERS ROW 1 Commemorates the shipwrights of the neighbouring shipyards. CARYL STREET 8 The Molyneux family owned most of Toxteth Park and it was after Caryl, 3rd Viscount Molyneux that this street and Lord Street were named. CARVER STREET 3 Mr Carver, Steward to the Earl of Derby had a house there. CASES STREET 1 Named after Thomas Case, a brother-in-law of Sarah Clayton. CASTLE HILL 2 It took its name from the hill which ran down from Castle Street to the river. Daniel Defoe was entertained in the house of Sam Done on Castle Hill in 1705. It is now only 13 yards long. CATHERINE STREET 8 Called after his mother by William Jones (1788-1876), who built houses in the city's Bloomsbury area. He built his own house, 35 Catherine Street, where he lived until his death. CAVENDISH GARDENS 8 It is on the fringe of Princes Park, which was laid out by Joseph Paxton, then head gardener to the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth. The name perpetuates the association of the Cavendish's with this enterprise. CAZNEAU STREET 3 Joseph Cazneau, a merchant, built the first house in the street in 1796. CHADWICK STREET 3 Called after the proprietor of a limekiln in the neighbourhood. CHAPEL STREET 3 It led to the ancient chapel of St Mary-del-Quay on the water's edge. Chapel Street was one of the original seven streets. CHATHAM STREET 7 Called after William Pitt (1708-1778), Ist Earl of Chatham, the "Great Commoner" and one of the Britain's greatest statesmen. CHILDWALL ABBEY ROAD 16 There never was an abbey in Childwall, The name derives from that of a hotel called Childwall Abbey. CHILDWALL PRIORY ROAD 16 A farm called Childwall Priory gave its name to the road. CHRISTIAN STREET 3 A potter named Philip Christian built a house on the corner of the street with material salvaged from the demolition of Gibson's Folly. CHURCH STREET 1 So called from St Peter's Church Liverpool's first Corporation Church and the first church to be built in England since the Reformation. It was built (1700-1704), on the site now occupied by the Burton Group, to the design of mason-architect John Moffat, a Lowland Scot. From 1880 to 1922, when it was demolished, it was the pro-cathedral. CLARENCE STREET 3 Named after the Duke of Clarence, later William IV. He visited Liverpool in 1790 when Clarence Street was laid. The Duke was very popular in Liverpool because he spoke in the House of Lords in favour of the slave trade. In 1799, in recognition of his services, the Freedom of the Borough was conferred on him. CLAYTON SQUARE 1 Sarah Clayton, who laid out the square and neighbouring streets between 1745 and 1750, was the daughter of William Clayton, MP. CLEVELAND SQUARE 1 The name commemorates John Cleveland, Mayor in 1703 and Member of Parliament for the Borough (1710-1713). CLEVELY ROAD 18 The name derives from the mansion called Clevely built by Joseph Leather, a cotton merchant, to the design of Sir Gilbert Scott. It was demolished in 1965. CLINT ROAD 7 Named after Councillor Francis Anderson Clint, who was a former Chairman of the Watch Committee. COAL STREET 1 There was once a market for Prescot coal on the corner of Pudsey Street and a weighing machine in connection with it was established in Coal Street. COCKSPUR STREET 3 The name is a reminder that there was once a cockpit in the street. On its site was built a Dissenter's chapel. COLLEGE STREETS NORTH, SOUTH & EAST 6 They are all streets adjacent to the Liverpool Collegiate Street. COLQUITT STREET 1 John Colquitt was Collector of Customs and lived in Hanover Street. His land extended to the present Berry Street. COMBERMERE STREET 8 Named after Lieutenant-General (later Field Marshal) Stapledon Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, upon whom the Council conferred the Freedom of the Borough in 1821. COMMUTATION ROW 1 So named about the time the Commutation Act was passed to prevent the evasion of window tax by making windows unusually large. CONCERT STREET 2 In 1840 a concert hall was built on the corner of the street to replace another destroyed by fire. It is now a bookshop. COOPER AVENUE NORTH 18 & COOPER AVENUE SOUTH 19 Named after Alderman Joseph Cooper, an ironmonger, of Oak House, Aigburth Hall Avenue. COPPERAS HILL 3 It got its name from a Copperas Works on the hill which became the subject of controversy because of the foul smells it emitted. It was owned by Richard Hughes, Mayor in 1756, who was prosecuted by the Council and ordered to move the workselsewhere. CORNWALLIS STREET 1 Named after Charles, lst Marquis Cornwallis (1738-1805), Governor General of India (1786-1793) and Governor of Ireland. He negotiated the Peace of Amiens in 1802 and was appointed Governor of India in 1804. COURT HEY ROAD 16 The name derives from a mansion called Court Hey, once the home of a branch of the Gladstone family. CRESSWELL ST'REET 6 Mr Justice Cresswell represented Liverpool in Parliament from 1837 to 1842. CROMPTONS LANE 18 It takes its name from Dr Peter Crompton who owned Eton Lodge (now Bishop Eton). CROPPER STREET 1 Named after James Cropper, a Quaker and philanthropist. He bought the Dingle Bank Estate on which he built three houses for occupation by himself and his two sons. He was a merchant and a ship owner but his ships only carried dummy guns. He was a staunch supporter of the campaign to abolish slavery. CROSSHALL STREET 1 Crosse Hall was the Liverpool home of the Crosse family. It stood on the site now occupied by the Municipal Buildings. CROXTETH ROAD 8 A reminder that the land on which Princes Park and Sefton Park were laid out was bought from the Earl of Sefton, whose home was Croxteth Hall. CUMBERLAND STREET 1 During the 1745 Scottish rebellion, Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the `Butcher of Culloden', was supported by a Liverpool regiment which did duty in the defence of Carlisle. CUNLIFFE STREET 2 Named after Foster Cunliffe, an enterprising and successful merchant and slave trader who was Mayor in 1716, 1729 and 1735. Inscribed on his monument in St Peter's Church were the words: `a merchant whose sagacity, honesty and diligence procurred wealth and credit to himself and his country; a magistrate who administered justice with discernment, candour and impartiality, a Christian devout and exemplary.' CUSTOMHOUSE LANE 1 This narrow lane led to Liverpool's third Custom House on the quayside of the Old Dock. DALE STREET 2 So called because it led to the dale through which flowed the stream from Moss Lake to the Pool of Liverpool. It was one of the original seven streets. DAMWOOD ROAD 24 Named after one of the woods on the Speke Estate which for centuries provided the oak from which so many of the Royal Navy's ships were built in Liverpool shipyards. DAWSON STREET 1 Named after Pudsey Dawson, Mayor in 1799. He lived in 35 Rodney Street and was especially concerned with the welfare of the blind. DAULBY STREET 3 Daniel Daulby of Rydal Mount, Westmoreland, owned the land through which the street was cut. He married Margaret, William Roscoe's only sister, and they took up residence in the street they named Daulby street. DEANE STREET 1 So called after Richard Deane who lived in Ranelagh Street but owned a ropery on the site on which the street was laid. It has shortened considerably in recent years. DENISON STREET 3 William Denison was the part-owner of the privateer `Enterprise' and he shared in the £7000 profit from the first three voyages. DEVONSHIRE ROAD 8 The name serves as a reminder of the association of the Duke of Devonshire with the creation of Princes Park (see Cavendish Gardens). DEYSBROOK LANE 12 The Deys Brook was a very ancient stream running through West Derby. DERBY SQUARE 2 Named after Lord Derby who obtained a small grant to enable a small square to be formed for a market on the site of Liverpool Castle. DINGLE VALE 8 Derives from the dingle or valley through which a stream ran from High Park, along what is now Park Road to the Mersey. William Roscoe wrote a poem about it when it eventually dried up. DORANS LANE 2 Felix Doran was an Irish merchant who lived in Lord Street. He was part-owner of the slave ship `Bloom' and he shared in the profit of £28123 from the sale of 307 slaves on one voyage alone. DOVECOTE AVENUE and DOVECOTE PLACE 14 Dovecote was a mansion built in 1829 by John Torbock. DRUIDS CROSS GARDENS and DRUIDS CROSS ROAD 18 The name Druids Cross was given to a house built by Joseph Hornby, a merchant. DRURY LANE 2 Originally Entwhistle Street. It was in this street that Thomas Steers built a theatre. DUBLIN STREET 3 So called after the City of Dublin Steam Packet whose berth was close by. DUKE STREET 1 Originally `the road to the quary'. Named in compliment to the Duke of Cumberland. Its original name referred to the quarry which became St James' Cemetery and is now called Cathedral Gardens. DUNBABIN ROAD 15 Named after John Dunbabin, who was a local farmer. DUNCAN STREET 1 Originally Hotham Street. Named after Admiral Adam, Viscount Duncan (1731-1804), best remembered for his victory over the Dutch Admiral de Winter off Camperdown. He was conferred with the Freedom of the Borough as a token of the Council's respect. DUNDONALD STREET 17 Thomas Cochrane, l0th Earl of Dundonald, served with distinction in the South African War. DUNGEON LANE 24 It leads to Dungeon Point, Hale, where there was once a salt works owned by the Ashton family. DURNING ROAD 7 Originally Rake Lane. It was called after William Durning, an owner of a considerable amount of land in the area, who built himself a house in the road. EARLE ROAD 7 It was laid through the Spekelands Estate of the Earle family. EBERLE STREET 2 Philip Eberle owned two hotels in Dale Street and he acted as caterer for the Town Hall for sixteeen years. When he retired, William Street was renamed Eberle Street in compliment to him. EDGE LANE 7 & 13 It is an ancient highway so called for its position along the edge of the township of West Derby, parallel with the dividing line between West Derby and Wavertree. EDMUND STREET 3 Originally Mill House Lane. It was laid out on land belonging to Sir Cleave Moore. When he married, it was named in honour of his bride, Ann Edmund. EGERTON STREET 15 Commemorates Francis Egerton, Duke of Bridgewater (of canal fame). ELDON STREET 3 Named after Lord Chancellor John Scott, lst Earl of Eldon, who held office from 1801 to 1827. ELLIOT STREET 1 Commemorates Sir George Augustus Elliot, who defended Gibraltar from June, 1799 to 1783. ERSKINE STREET 6 Named after Thomas Erskine, a lawyer, who sat in Parliament as a Whig and, in 1806, was made Lord Chancellor. EXCHANGE FLAGS 2 This was the name given to the area adjacent to the Town Hall on which, until commodity exchanges were built, merchants gathered to transact their business. EXCHANGE STREET EAST 2 Formerly Juggler Street and High Street. The Exchange was the present Town Hall. FAIRFIELD STREET 7 The name derives from Fairfield Hall (nicknamed Tea Caddy Hall) built by Thomas Tarleton. FALKNER SQUARE 8 Laid out by Edward Falkner, who intended to name it Wellington Square but it was nicknamed `Falkner's Folly' because it was too far out of town! FALKNER STREET 8 Formerly Crabtree Lane. Named after Edward Falkner who, in 1797, enrolled 1000 men in an hour for the defence of Liverpool when a French invasion was threatened. FARNWORTH STREET 3 Named after John Farnworth, Mayor in 1865. FAZAKERLEYSTREET 2 Originally Rosemary Lane. The Fazakerley's of Walton were owners of land through which the street was laid. FENWICK STREET 2 Named after Edward Moore's inlaws. His wife was the daughter of William Fenwick of Meldon Hall, Northumberland. The street was sometimes referred to as Phoenix Street or Phenwych Street. FINCH LANE l4 Formerly Mockbeggar Lane. The name derives from Finch House, which was built in 1776 by Richard Gildart, who represented Liverpool in Parliament from 1734 to 1754 and was three times Mayor. Mackbeggar Hall was a name usually applied to a grand, ostentatious house where no hospitality was afforded nor any charity given. FITZCLARENCE STREET 6 Formerly Clarence Street. As Liverpool absorbed neighbouring townships, street names were often duplicated. As a result, names, usually in the district taken over, were sometimes changed. In this way, Clarence Street, Everton, became Fitzclarence Street, the name given to the Duke of Clarence's children by Mrs Jordan. FONTENOY STREET 3 Although the street was not laid until 1790, its name was intended to commemorate the Battle of Fontenoy (1745). It is the only street in Liverpool commemorating a British defeat. FOX STREET 2 Named after Charles Fox (1749-1806), a Whig politician who was Foreign Secretary in the `Ministry of all Talents'. FREDERICK STREET 1 Named after Frederick Louis, Duke of Edinburgh, the father of George III. GAMBIER TERRACE 1 Named after James, Admiral Gambier (1756-1833). He distinguished himself on the `Glorious First of June' ( 1794) and he was commander of the British fleet at Copenhagen (1807), after which encounter he was elevated to the peerage. GARDNERS DRIVE 6 Richard Cardwell Gardner was Mayor in 1862. GEORGE STREET 3 Named after Prince George of Denmark (1653-1708), the consort of Queen Anne. GIBRALTAR ROW 3 Commemorates the Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783). GILDART STREET 3 Richard Gildart, Mayor in 173 1 and 1736, owned land through which the street was cut. He was one of Liverpool's Members of Parliament (1734-1754). GILLMOSS LANE 11 This name is another reminder of the many mosses and bogs which isolated Liverpool for centuries. GORE STREET 8 Commemorates John Gore, bookseller and stationer, who was the publisher of Liverpool's first directory and of the newspaper, Gore's Liverpool Advertiser. GOREE 2 Goree was a bare basalt rock off Cape Verde where slaves were gathered together for shipment to the plantations. GOWER STREET 3 Named after Sir John Gower, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the castle site was secured for the town. It is one of only two named streets on the dock estate. GRAFTON STREET 8 Called after the Duke of Grafton, Whig Prime Minister (1766-1770). GRAYSON STREET 1 Named after Edward Grayson, a shipwright, who was killed in one of the last duels to be fought in Liverpool (1804). GRASSENDALE PARK 19 The name derives from the ancient place name of Gresyndale or Grese Londale, meaning long, grassy valley. GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET 1 Charlotte was the name of King George III's consort. GREAT GEORGE SQUARE 1 A statue of George III was to have been erected in the square and the foundation stone was laid on his golden jubilee. The response to the mayor's appeal for funds to complete the project was tardy and years passed before the sculptor could be paid. Eventually, the statue was raised in London Road at its junction with Pembroke Place, now called Monument Place. GREATHOWARDSTREET 3 & 5 It perpetuates the name of the great reformer and philanthropist, John Howard. He took a great interest in the planning of the Borough Gaol, ,which was built in this street in 1786. GREAT NEWTON STREET 3 Named after John Newton, once the master of a ship engaged in the slave trade who became a Church of England clergyman. In cooperation with the poet William Cowper, he wrote the Olney hymns, of which the best known is `Amazing Grace'. GREENBANK LANE 17 In 1787, William Rathbone IV bought Green Bank, a farm in Toxteth, for a summer residence and the lane took its name from the farm. GREENHILL ROAD I 8 The name derives from a mansion called Greenhill built for Sir Henry Tate to the design of Norman Shaw. GREENLAND STREET 1 Liverpool's whaling industry was based nearby. GREENWOOD ROAD 18 A name inspired by the so-called Archers' Stone in nearby Booker Avenue. GRENVILLE STREET SOUTH 1 Originally Leveson Street. Named after Lord Grenville (1759-1834), Foreign Secretary under Pitt after whose death he succeeded as Prime Minister. It was Grenville who, in 1807, introduced the Bill for the abolition of the slave trade. The name of the street was changed because of its notoriety after the murder there of the wife of a ship's captain, his two children and a maid in 1849. GREYHOUND FARM ROAD 19 Named after one of the many farms on the Speke Estate. HACKINS HEY 2 Called after a tenant of Sir Edward Moore, John Hacking, through whose croft the narrow street was laid. A hey is land enclosed by hedges. HALL LANE 7 Formerly Mount Vernon. The name refers to Mount Vernon Hall which became a school and, it is said, was attended by Gladstone for a while. HANOVER STREET 1 Originally King Street. It was called after the reigning family. HARDMAN STREET 1 Named after Mrs Hardman, the widow of John Hardman of Allerton, who owned land through which the street was laid. HARDY STREET 1 Named after Thomas Masterman Hardy (1769-1839), Nelson's Flag Captain who was with him at Trafalgar when Nelson was killed by a sniper's bullet. HARRINGTON STREET 2 Originally Castle Hey. The Harringtons of Aigburth owned the land. HARTHILL AVENUE 18 Harthill House was built about 1829. In 1848, it was bought by John Bibby, an iron and copper merchant, whose wife was a daughter of Jesse Hartley, the celebrated Dock Engineer. HATFIELD STREET 7 The street was laid out on land belonging to the Marquis of Salisbury, whose ancestral home is Hatfield. HATTON GARDEN 2 Called after Hatton, near Warrington, the native village of the Johnson brothers who owned the land. HAWKE STREET 3 Named after Admiral Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke (1705-1781 ). His most spectacular exploit was the destruction of the French fleet at Quiberon Bay, which brought to an end plans for the invasion of England. According to Smollett, he was `the Father of the English Navy.' HEATH ROAD 19 It was laid out on what was once Garston Heath. HEYWORTH STREET 3 Originally Church Street. James Heyworth owned considerable land in the neighbourhood and built a villa in the street named after him. HIGH PARK STREET, PARKHILL ROAD and SOUTH HILL ROAD 8 High Park was the highest point in Toxteth Park and, in the l8th century, because of its salubrity, became a popular summer resort for Liverpool folk. The area was often referred to as `the Richmond of the Mersey'. Parkhill and South Hill are names relating to High Park. HIGHFIELD ROAD 13 The name derives from Highfield House, Old Swan. Built in 1763, it became the home of the Dower Duchess of Athol in 1775. She sold the house and estate to her son, the Duke of Athol. HILLFOOT ROAD 25 Presumably so named in allusion to Camp Hill. HOCKENHALL ALLEY 2 Originally Molyneux Weint. The Hockenhalls were a Cheshire family related to the Moores and Sir Edward Moore refers to the house in Dale Street he bought from his cousin, Henry Hockenhall of Tranmere. HODSON PLACE 6 The Hodsons were an Everton family who owned much of the land hereabout. HOLMFIELD ROAD 19 The name derives from a mansion called Holmfield, once the residence of Sir Thomas Bland Royden and the birthplace of his distinguished daughter Maud Royden, preacher and social worker. HOLT LANE 25 It led to Holt Hall Farm, which belonged to the Brettargh family. HOLT ROAD 7 When Durning Road was continued through Mr Durning's land, he named it Holt Road after his son-inlaw, George Holt. HOPE STREET 1 William Hope, a merchant, built the first house in the street on the corner of Hardman Street. The site is now occupied by the Philharmonic Hotel. HORROCKS AVENUE 19 Named to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the observation of the transit of Venus over the disc of the sun by Jeremiah Horrocks, `the founder of English astronomy' (Newton). Horrocks was born in the Lower Lodge of Toxteth Park, at Otterspool, c.1619. HOOD STREET 1 Named after Rear Admiral Samuel, Lord Hood (1724-1816), who was made an Honorary Freeman of Liverpool `in testimony of the high respect this Corporation has for him on account of the very eminent and signal services rendered by him to this country in the late war'. HOTHAM STREET 3 Named after Admiral William Hotham, lst Baron Hotham (17361813), who was in action with Rodney, Howe and Hood. HUNTER STREET 3 Named after Rowland Hunter, a retired tradesman and tax collector from Cable Street, who built a house on the corner of Byrom Street. HURST STREET 1 Called after Thomas Hurst, a shipwright, who was granted a lease of part of The Strand in 1710. HUSKISSON STREET 1 Commemorates William Huskisson, MP who was killed at the official opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830. JAMES STREET 1 Originally Saint James Street. A shipwright named Roger James lived in a house on Moor Street and it is thought by some historians that it was from him that the street derived its name. However, there is no evidence to support this (James died in 1694). After St James Church, Toxteth was built in 1774, the south end of Park Lane was called St James Street and the original St James Street became James Street. JERICHO LANE and JERICHO FARM CLOSE 17 Their name derives from Jericho Farm, one of those created by the Puritans who settled in Toxteth Park in the l7th century. JOHNSON STREET 3 The Johnson brothers, bricklayers and builders, owned the land through which Hatton Gardens and Johnson Street were laid. JUBILEE DRIVE 7 It was laid out during the Jubilee of George III. JUDGES DRIVE 6 It leads to the Judges Lodging in Newsham Park. KENT STREET 1 Named after Richard Kent, a merchant and ship-owner, who, in 1768, built himself a handsome house on the corner of Kent Street and Duke Street. KILSHAW STREET 6 Laid out by Councillor Kilshaw about 1845. KING EDWARD STREET 3 It dates from 1903 and was named in compliment to Edward VII. KINGSWAY 2 The name given to the second Mersey tunnel by Elizabeth II when she declared it open on June 24th, 1971. KNIGHT STREET 1 Laid out by brothers John and James Knight about 1785. LANCE LANE I5 Named after Thomas Lance (1769-1829), an insurance broker and merchant, who was a member of the Wavertree Local Board. Portraits of him, his wife and three children are in Sudley Art Gallery. LARKHILL LANE 13 The name derives from a mansion called Larkhill built, in 1760, by Jonathon Blundell of the Ince family of that name. It had a cockpit. LATHBURY LANE 17 John Lathbury was the Earl of Sefton's agent and he lived in Toxteth Farm to where the lane led. LAWRENCE ROAD 15 It perpetuates the memory of Charles Lawrence, a West India merchant, who was Mayor in 1823 and Chairman of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at its inaugration. LEATHER LANE 2 The name derives from the Leather Hall, a market for leather, which stood there until 1833, when it was moved to Gill Street. LEE HALL PARK 25 Lee Hall was built in 1773 for the Okill family. LEECE STREET 1 William Leece, a merchant after whom the street is named, lived in Water Street. LEEDS STREET 3 Originally Maiden's Green. It was the terminus of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. LEIGH STREET 1 Elizabeth Leigh was the maiden name of Sarah Clayton's mother. LIME STREET 1 Originally Limekiln Lane. Where the railway station now stands, there were limekilns in the l8th century. They were dismantled after complaints by the doctors of the Infirmary across the street about the injurious effect of the fumes emitted on their patients. LISTER DRIVE 13 It was originated by Thomas Lister, a retired cotton broker, who became Chairman of the West Derby Local Board. LIVINGSTON DRIVE NORTH and SOUTH 17 In order to get a good approach to Sefton Park, the Corporation bought twelve acres of land from Joseph Livingston for £12000. LODGE LANE 8 1t led to the Higher Lodge of Toxteth Park. LORD STREET 2 Originally Molyneux Lane or Lord Molyneux Street. Molyneux had a house on the north side of Lord Street. After it was demolished, a commercial building called Commerce Court was built on the site and it bore the Molyneux arms carved in stone. The building was destroyed during the last war and the carved arms were lost. LORD NELSON STREET 3 Named after Admiral Horatio Nelson (17S8-1805), England's greatest naval hero. He was a great favourite with Liverpudlians because, in addition to his professional success, he supported the slave trade. In 1798, he was conferred with the Freedom of the Borough. In acknowledging the honour, he wrote from the `Victory': `I was taught to appreciate the value of our West India possessions, nor shall their interests be infringed while I have an arm to fight in their defence.' LOW HILL 6 Low means hill as in Brownlow and Spellow. LUGARD ROAD 17 Lord Lugard was Nigeria's famous Governor and Commander-in-Chief. LYDIA ANNE STREET 1 Called after the wife of George Perry, manager of the Phoenix Foundry to which the street led. LYNDHURST ROAD 18 John Singleton Copley, Baron Lyndhurst (1772-1863), was three time Lord Chancellor. McGREGOR STREET 5 Alexander McGregor was a merchant who was subsequently manager of the Bank of England branch in Manchester. He owned a house in the street. MADDOCKS STREET 13 It is believed to be the only street in the city named after a Roman Catholic priest. MAJOR STREET 5 Canon Major Lester, Vicar of Kirkdale, founded the Major Street Ragged School. MANCHESTER STREET 1 Before it opened, in 1821, coaches for London, Warrington and Manchester left Liverpool via London Road but they to proceed along Dale Street and the steep hill called Shaw's Brow (now William Brown Street). The creation of Manchester Street enabled them to reach London Road via a widened St John's Lane, which presented a much easier gradient. MANESTY'S LANE 1 Joseph Manesty was a merchant and ship-owner who lived on the corner of the street and whose garden was famous for its lavender. MANN ISLAND 3 Originally Mersey Island. It was an artificial island between George's Dock and Canning Dock on three sides and the Mersey on the west. It lost its water on the north and east sides with the conversion of George's Dock into the building site for the Pier Head buildings. It gets its name from John Mann, an oil-stone dealer, who died there in 1784. MARINERS PARADE 1 It led to the Old Dock and was an approach regularly used by seamen. MARYBONE 3 A name given at the request of some Catholic inhabitants of the neighbourhood. MARYLAND STREET 1 Named in compliment to his trade by Mr Hunter, a Virginia tobacco merchant, who lived in Mount Pleasant and whose gardens extended to the street. MASON STREET 7 Edward Mason, a timber merchant, built a house near the north end of the street about 1800. His gardens and grounds extended the whole length of Paddington as far as Smithdown Lane. He built St Mary's, Edge Lane, at his own expense. MATHER AVENUE 18 & 19 Commemorates Arthur Stanley Mather, a solicitor, who was Mayor in 1915-16. MENLOVE AVENUE 18 & 25 Called after Alderman Thomas Menlove (1840-1913), a draper and Chairman of the Health Committee. MERE LANE 5 Domingo Mere extended from Mere Lane to Beacon Lane, Everton. In winter, it was very popular with skaters and members of the local curling club. lt was known locally as St Domingo Pit. MELWOOD DRIVE 12 A hybrid name given to the playing field of St Francis Xavier School, made up from the first syllables of the names of the two priests who founded it, Melling and Woodlock. MILE END 5 So called because it is exactly one mile from the Exchange, now the Town Hall. MILL STREET 8 Formerly Bedford Street. The name derives from a windmill, which stood on the spot that is now the junction of Hill Street and Mill Street. It was one of many in the area, which became known as `Little Holland'. MONUMENT PLACE 3 The site of an equestrian statue of George III (see Great George Square). MOOR STREET 2 It was laid out by Sir Edward Moore about 1665. Originally, it ran from Castle Street down to the shore. MOORFIELDS 2 Originally Moor Croft. It was the site of a portion of the Moore family estate, first mentioned in 1697. MOSS STREET 6 Thomas Moss of Whiston, father of John Moss of Otterspool, bought land on the road to Low Hill through which the street was laid. MOUNT STREET 1 It led to a pleasure garden called Mount Zion, or St James Mount. It was on this site that the Anglican Cathedral was built. MOUNT VERNON STREET 7 It led to Vernon's Hall and it was so named about 1804. MUIRHEAD AVENUE 13 Commemorates William Muirhead, Chairman oE the Health Committee. NETHERFIELD ROAD NORTH and SOUTH 5 The name derives from an ancient field name meaning `the higher or upper field'. NEW BIRD STREET 1 Named after Alderman Joseph Bird. a slave trader, who was Mayor in 1746. A street between James Street and Redcross Street had been named in his honour but it was abolished in the l8th century and New Bird Street was named in replacement. NEW QUAY 3 New Quay was a river wall suggested by Sir Edward Moore to arrest erosion. NEWLANDS STREET 6 Named after James Newland (1813-1871), Liverpool's first Borough Engineer. NEWSHAM DRIVE 6 The name derives from the Newsham House Estate bought by the Corporation in order to create a public park. NORRIS GREEN ROAD 12 The name derives from `Norris Green' a mansion, erected by the West Derby branch of the Norris family. The estate was purchased by the Corporation in 1924 and the mansion was demolished in 1931. NORTH STREET 3 Named after Lord North, Tory Prime Minister, 1770 to 1782. NORTH JOHN STREET 2 Formerly Saint John Street. So called from lands belonging to the chantry of Saint John in the Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas. NORTH SUDLEY ROAD 17 The name derives from a mansion called `Sudley' on Mossley Hill. Built by Nicholas Robinson, a corn merchant and Mayor in 1828, it is now an art gallery housing a collection of paintings and furniture bequeathed to the city by Miss Emma Holt. OAK HILL PARK 13 So called from Oak Hill House, built by Richard Wyatt in 1773. When the Ladies' Walk at the north end of Liverpool was doomed, Wyatt acquired the oak trees which lined it and had them transplanted in the grounds of his mansion. OAKLAND ROAD 19 It derives from `Oaklands', the home of Sir Alfred Lewis Jones (1846-1909), ship-owner and philanthropist and founder of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. OIL STREET 3 There was once an oil crushing works in this street owned by a firm called Earles and Carter. OLD CHURCHYARD 2 The name refers to the churchyard of Liverpool's parish church, Our Lady and Saint Nicholas. OLD HALL STREET 3 Formerly White Acres Street or Peppard Street. The mansion house and seat of the Moores was originally called More Hall. When they moved to Bank Hall, the family referred to More Hall as the `Old Hal1', and so the street leading to it became known as Old Hall Street. OLD HAYMARKET 1 A haymarket was held there up to 1841. OLD POST OFFICE PLACE 1 In 1800, the Post Office was moved from Lord Street to Post Office Place. In 1839, business having increased substantially, it was moved to Revenue Buildings, better remembered as the Custom House, Canning Place. OLD ROPERY 2 William Bushell, a tenant of Sir Edward Moore, lived in Castle Street and had a long garden which he converted into a ropery. This provoked Moore and there was a long argument between them over the enterprise. OLDHAM STREET 1 It was named after Captain James Oldham, who built the first house in the street. He was engaged in the Middle Passage, the Africa to West Indies section of the triangular route followed by the slave traders. Oldham died at sea in 1825. ORFORD STREET 1 Named after Orford Hall, Warrington, the seat of John Blackburne. ORFORD STREET 15 Called after his sister-in-law, Miss Orford, by Dr Kenyon, who laid out land adjoining his house in High Street, Wavertree. Orford Street was part of the development. ORMOND STREET 3 James, Duke of Ormond, was a statesman during the reign of Queen Anne when the street was laid out. OTTERSPOOL DRIVE 17 The name given to the carriageway between the bottom of Mersey Road and Jericho Lane when Otterspool Promenade was completed. An attempt to apply the name to Jericho Lane was frustrated. PARK LANE 1 Originally `the road to the park'. The park was Toxteth Park. PARK ROAD and PARK STREET 8 These too derive from Toxteth Park. PARKFIELD ROAD 17 `Parkfield' was the former residence of Robert Gladstone, Snr. PARLIAMENT STREET 8 Originally Townsend Lane. So called after the Act of Parliament of 1773 created the new town of Harrington. It was the boundary between Liverpool and Toxteth Park. PARADISE STREET 1 Originally Common Shore. Thomas Steers, the engineer who built the first Liverpool Dock, owned land on Common Shore which he named Paradise Street after the street of that name in Rotherhithe, London, where he once lived. PARR STREET 1 Commemorates Thomas Parr, the banker, who built the house in Colquitt Street which became the Royal Institution. He boasted that he had the handsomest house, wife and horse in Liverpool. PETER'S LANE 1 Originally Peter Street. The name derives from St Peter's Church in Church Street. PHYTHIAN STREET 6 So called after the publican who built houses in the street. PICKOP STREET 3 The name derives from a firm of brewers (Pickop and Miles) who once had a brewery in the street. PIER HEAD 3 A stone pier, built in the 1760's known as the North Pier, jutted out into the river from a site opposite St Nicholas's Church. PILGRIM STREET 1 Originally Jamieson Street. Named after a privateer called `The Pilgrim', which brought into Barbados a prize which, along with her cargo, sold for £190,000. PITT STREET 1 Named after William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham and Prime Minister, 1756. PLUMPTON STREET 6 It was laid out by Sam Plumpton, a landowner and a member of the Town Council from 1842-1845. PORTER STREET 3 Named after Thomas Colley Porter, Mayor in 1827, who won one of the most corrupt elections in Liverpool's history. PORTLAND STREET 5 Called after Henry CavendishBentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738-1809), twice Prime Minister in 1783 and 1807-09. POWNALL SQUARE 3 William Pownall, a merchant and Mayor in 1767, died of a chill caught while quelling a riot on Devil's Acre, near Salthouse Dock, during his year in office. The square is named after him. PRESCOT ROAD 7 & 13 In the l7th and early l8th centuries, Liverpool's coal was brought from Prescot by pack horses and an occasional wagon. In wet weather, the road became impassable for wheeled vehicles and, due to the increased demand created by the town's expanding population and industries, the Council obtained Parliamentary permission to turnpike the road (1726). In 1759, the road from Prescot to Warrington was turnpiked, thus enabling coaches and wagons from Liverpool to join the north/south road connecting with London and the main provincial centres. PRICE STREET 1 The Prices were Lords of the Manor of Birkenhead and they were connected with the Clevelands who laid out this street. PRINCE ALFRED ROAD 15 Originally Cow Lane. It was renamed when Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, visited Liverpool in 1866 as the guest of S R Graves, MP, at the Grange, Wavertree. PRINCE WILLIAM STREET 8 Commemorates King William of Orange. PRINCES BOULEVARD and PRINCES ROAD 8 Opened in 1846 and so called because they led to Princes Park. PRINCES PARADE 3 It leads from St Nicholas Place to Princess Dock. It was to have been called Royal Parade. PRUSSIA STREET 3 So called after the allegiance between England and Frederick the Great in the mid-l8th century. George Stubbs, the painter, lived in a house on the corner of Prussia Street. PUDSEY STREET 1 Named after Pudsey Dawson, a merchant and shipowner. Mayor in 1799, he was colonel of a regiment of volunteers raised in 1798. QUEENSWAY 1 The first Mersey Road Tunnel opened and named by George V on July l8th, 1934. QUAKERS ALLEY 2 A Friends Meeting House was erected in Hackins Hey, in 1706, and attached to it was a burial ground. The Quakers left for Hunter Street about 1796, after when the premises became a school. QUEEN STREET 3 It was started during the reign of Queen Anne. It was once the centre of Liverpool's Welsh community. RAINFORD GARDENS and RAINFORD SQUARE 2 Peter Rainford, Mayor in 1740, bought a piece of land on the bank of the Pool of Liverpool and he laid it out as a market garden. RAMSBROOK ROAD and RAMSBROOKE CLOSE 24 They were named after one of the many streams which threaded their way through the Speke Estate to the Mersey. RANELAGH DRIVE 19 It was laid out on what had been Lewis's staff sports ground. RANELAGH STREET 1 and RANELAGH PLACE 3 The Ranelagh 'Tea Gardens stood on the site now occupied by the Adelphi Hotel. T'he name derives from the elite l8th century Ranelagh Gardens in Chelsea, London. RATHBONE STREET 1 So called after the Rathbone family who owned the land. RENSHAW STREET 1 The brothers John and Edward Renshaw owned a ropery on the site of which the street was laid, hence its straightness. RICHMOND STREET 9 Named after Dr Sylvester Richmond, a celebrated physician, philanthropist and Mayor in 1672. RIGBY STREET 3 Gilbert Rigby, a merchant, lived on the corner of Old Hall Street when Rigby Street was laid out. ROCK STREET 13 Recalls a quarry which provided much of the stone used in the construction of Liverpool's docks and buildings. RODNEY STREET 1 Named after Admiral George Brydges, 1st Baron Rodney (1718-1792) after his victory over the French, under Count de Grasse, off St Lucia in the West lndies (1782). He was rewarded with a peerage and a pension of £2000 a year. ROE STREET I William Roe, a merchant, lived in Queen Square in a house which became the Stork Hotel. ROSCOE STREET 1 William Roscoe, Liverpool's `greatest son', was born in the Bowling Green Inn at the top of Mount Pleasant but some confusion has arisen because there was another Bowling Green Inn lower down Mount Pleasant, opposite Roscoe Street, which Roscoe's father owned later. ROYAL MAIL STREET 3 Formerly Warren Street. The change of name occurred when the new Post Office Building in Copperas Hill was opened in 1977. RUMFORD STREET 2 A soup kitchen established to Count Rumford's plan once stood on adjacent land. RUPERT HILL 6 and RUPERT LANE 5 Prince Rupert, the favourite son of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, and a nephew of Charles I, was a general in the Royalist army during the Civil War. He took Liverpool, in 1644, and made his headquarters in a cottage on Everton Brow. RUSSELL STREET 3 Admiral Edward Russell, Earl of Oxford (1653-1727) is remembered as the commander of the combined British and Dutch fleets which utterly defeated the French at the Battle of La Hogue in 1692. ST ANNE STREET 3 The name derives from St Anne's Church, built in 1772. In the l8th and early l9th century, it was the most fashionable residential street in Liverpool. ST DOMINGO ROAD and ST DOMINGO VALE 5 Named after an estate owned by George Campbell, a West India merchant, who owned a privateer which captured a prize called St Domingo. ST JAMES STREET l The name derives from St James Church, Toxteth. Thereafter, the upper part of Park Lane was called St James Street. ST JOHN'S LANE 1 Formerly Fall Well Lane. The name derives from St John's Church, which stood in what is now called St John's Gardens, at the back of St George's Hall. Its former name comes from the Fall Well, in Lime Street, for long the town's principal spurce of water. ST PAUL'S SQUARE 3 St Paul's Church was built in 1769 on what was then known as `the Dogfield'. The square and neighbourhood came to be called `the Belgravia of Liverpool'. ST VINCENT STREET 3 It was named after Admiral John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent (1735- 1823). He was elevated to the peerage after his great victory over the French fleet off Cape St Vincent, in 1797. He was presented with an address of thanks by the Council. SANDON STREET 8 Lord Sandon, afterwards the Earl of Harrowby, was a Member of Parliament for Liverpool from 1835 to 1842. SANKEY STREET 1 The name suggests an allusion to the Sankey Canal, of which Henry Berry who lived in a house on the corner of Duke Street and Berry Street) was the engineer. SCHOOL LANE 1 Originally Ware Street. The name School Lane was applied when the grammar school founded by John Crosse took over the premises first built for the Blue Coat Charity School. SCORE LANE 16 It is one of the oldest roads in Liverpool's suburbs. Score means `to pasture'. SCOTLAND ROAD 3 One of Liverpool's turnpike roads, it led to Preston via Walton, Burscough and Maghull. Stage coaches from Liverpool followed this route through Lancaster and Kendal to Scotland. SEEL STREET l Thomas Seel, a merchant and property owner, had a house in Hanover Street with extensive gardens through which the street was laid. SHAW STREET 6 lt was laid out by John Shaw, a Liverpool Councillor, whose father had inherited through marriage the extensive Everton estate of the Halsall family. It was a prestigious residential street in which the first house was built in 1829. SHEIL ROAD 6 Named after Alderman Richard Sheil, a merchant, who in his day was the only Catholic Irishmman on the Town Council. The adjacent park is also called after him. SIR THOMAS STREET 1 Originally Sir Thomas's Buildings. It commemorates Sir Thomas Johnson, Mayor in 1715. He represented Liverpool in ten Parliaments. He died in penury in London, in 1728. SLATER STREET 1 Named after Gill Slater, who was the first captain of the Liverpool Volunteers raised, in 1766, when a French invasion was threatened. SLEEPERS HILL 4 Parts of the common land in the neighbourhood were called Great and Little Sleeper. They were first enclosed by a shoemaker and called Cobbler's Close. SMITHDOWN LANE 7 and SMITHDOWN ROAD These two highways are amongst the oldest in Liverpool. They led to Esmedune, a manor mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Smithdown derives from Esmedune and means `smooth slope'. SOUTH JOHN STREET 1 Formerly Trafford's Weint. So called after Henry Trafford, Mayor in 1740. SPARLING STREET 1 John Sparling, Mayor in 1790, projected Queens Dock, which he proposed to construct at his own expense but then sold to the Corporation for the same purpose. SPARROW HALL LANE 9 A black and white cottage in the valley, known anciently as `the Moss', was called Sparrow Hall. SPEKE HALL ROAD 25 It takes its name from Speke Hall, the home of the Norris family. SPEKELAND ROAD 7 The name derives from `Spekelands', a mansion built by Thomas Earle, Mayor in 1787. SPELLOW LANE 4 `Spellow' means `Speech Hill' or mount, usually the centre of an administrative area called a hundred. The site on which Spellow Mill stood may have been the original Spellow, for when the mill burnt down in 1828, it was thought to have been five hundred years old. SPENCER STREET 6 Spencer James Steers, a grandson of Thomas Steers, the Dock Engineer, owned land in Everton through which two streets were laid, one of which was Spencer Street. SPOFFORTH ROAD 7 So called after Frederick Robert Spofforth, an Australian cricketer vf the 1870's nicknamed the `Demon bowler'. SPRINGWOOD AVENUE 25 The name derives from Springwood House, built by William Shand, an owner of plantations in the West Indies, who called it after his Antigua home. The drawing room and library were said to have been copies of rooms in Windsor castle. STANHOPE STREET 8 Stanhope was the family name of the Earls of Harrington. The lst Earl of Sefton married Isabella Stanhope, the daughter of the Earl of Harrington. STANLEY ROAD 2 & 5 It was laid out by Lord Derby about 1862. STANLEY STREET 1 Originally New Street. It was laid out in 1740 through land bought by the Derby family from the Moores of Bankhall. STEBLE STREET 8 Called after Colonel R F Steble, Mayor in 1874/75 who, in 1879, presented to the town the fountain at the top of William Brown Street. STOCKTON WOOD ROAD 19 Named after one of the many woods on the Speke Estate. STOWELL STREET 7 Named after Rev Hugh Stowell Brown, minister of the Myrtle Street Baptist Church which stood on the corner of Myrtle Street and Hope Street. STRAND STREET 1 and THE STRAND 2 Originally the shore between high and low water. In the 1850's, the block of buildings in Strand Street between Redcross Street and Crooked Lane had so many sailmakers that it came to be called `the Sailmaker's Home'. SWEETING STREET 2 Originally Elbow Lane. Named after Alderman Sweeting, Mayor in 1698. TABLEY STREET 1 So called by William Pownall, Mayor in 1767, through whose land the street was laid out. He came from Tabley in Cheshire. TAGGART AVENUE 16 Alderman Gregory Taggart was an Irishman who, at one time, was a collector for the Royal Liver Friendly Society. He was nominated for election to the Council by the Nationalist Society. TEMPEST HEY 2 The Plumbes of Plumbe Hall, Wavertree, who had acquired a good deal of land from the Moores, succeeded by marriage to the estate of Sir George Tempest of Tong Hall, Yorkshire. They took the name Plumbe Tempest, hence Tempest Hey. TEMPLE COURT, TEMPLE LANE and TEMPLE STREET 2 The name Temple derives from an office complex built by Sir William Brown, to the design of Sir James Picton, called `The Temple'. TEWIT HALL ROAD 24 Derived from the name of a farm on the Speke Estate. On early maps, it appears as Pewit Hall Farm. THE VINERIES 25 It got its name from a house and estate once the residence of Thomas Charles Clarke. TITHEBARN STREET 1 Originally Moor Street. Lord Molyneux, Lord of the Manor, built his tithe barn in Moor Street, in 1514. TRAMWAY ROAD 17 Stables and a carriage shed for the horse trams of the Liverpool ramway Company were built in this road. TUNNEL ROAD 7 Derives from the railway tunnel from Edge Hill to Lime Street. UNION STREET 3 Named in honour of the union of England and Scotland in 1717. ULLET ROAD 8 & 17 Originally Owlet Road. UTTING AVENUE 4 and UTTING AVE EAST 11 Sir John Utting, who was Liverpool's first `club doctor', was Lord Mayor in 1917/18. VANDRIES STREET 3 A Dutchman named Vandries once occupied an ancient hostelry which was known by his name. VAUXHALL ROAD 3 & 5 Originally Pin fold Lane. Vauxhall was the name of a house on the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal past which the road led. The name derives from Vauxhall Gardens in Lambeth, London, in the l8th century. VICTORIA STREET 1 & 2 Named after Queen Victoria. It was laid out in the 1860's to provide a new approach to Lime Street Station and St George's Hall. VIRGINIA STREET 3 Derives from the Virginia tobacco trade which flourished in Liverpool in the l7th century. WALTON HALL AVENUE 4 & 11 The mansion, after which the road was called, was bought by John Atherton, a merchant and slave trader, in 1746. His son and grandson sold it to another slave trader, Thomas Leyland, in 1804. WARREN STREET 3 Named after Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren (1753-1822). In 1794, he defeated French squadrons on two occasions and, in 1798, he intercepted and defeated a French fleet on its way to Ireland. For this last victory, the Council conferred on him the Freedom of the Borough. WATER STREET 2 Originally Bank Street or Bonke Street. It was one of the original seven streets and it was so called because it led to the shore or riverbank. WATERHOUSE STREET 5 Named after Nicholas Waterhouse, a merchant, who about 1806, bought a house which William Clarke, the banker, had built there before 1790. WATERLOO PLACE 1 So called from `The Waterloo', a public house which also gave its name to the Waterloo Cup for coursmg. WELLINGTON ROAD 8 Named after the Duke of Wellington after his famous victory at Waterloo, in 1815. WHITLEY STREET 3 Named in compliment to Edward Whitley, MP. He was the Ieader of the Tory Party on the Council before his election to Parliament and his name was a household word in Liverpool. WILLIAM BROWN STREET 3 Originally Shaw's Brow. Named in compliment to Sir William Brown, who gave to the town the Museum and Library

Blogmas 2023

It may be the season to be jolly, but for many people, Christmas, and the anticipation and build up to Christmas is a time of tension and stress... For me, it has always been this way.... For many years, (29), i lived "down South" or "Dawn Sarf" as we say in Essex... I either worked on Christmas Day, or i shared the stress of Christmas with my best, and long suffering friend Nikki and her family and we merged the families, food, jollies all together.... That worked really well until my mum became more poorly and decided after moving to and from Essex three times and finally, in the September of 2013, mother dearest decided that she could not settle, and wanted to move back to Liverpool.... Suffice to say, I moved back to Liverpool to care for her as the boys had left home to go on their adventures at Music College and University and only appeared looking hungry or with a bin bag of washing for me to do... So here I am, ten years into being back in Liverpool. Another Christmas is looming around the corner... My boys are older now, and although they do appear over the Christmas week, one lives in Essex, and the other has his own family. My birthday falls between Christmas and New Year, so my boys will always be here to celebrate with me. Usually, I am fairly organised, I buy Christmas presents throughout the year, so Christmas shopping is not too scary, although some of my friends give donations to charities instead of buying cards and gifts... I have thought this a great way of celebrating with the "feel good" factor and helping (in my case) Dogs Trust or Spanish Rescues.... So, some weeks back, after spending £41 sending Christmas Cards through Royal Mail, I thought this would be the way forward... instead of giving presents, we can dontate... except for the children, and grandchildren... Initially, it seemed to go down well, but then it wasn't... I do lots of fund raising and donating to charities anyway, we sponsor a donkey, a lurcher at Dogs Trust, I fund raise for a Spanish rescue and we have three Spanish rescue dogs, and our son's cockerpoo. Last Christmas, Christmas Day was lovely - it was just my husband and i and our doggies.... The boys and my step daughter arrived on Boxing Day when somehow, the pressure is off, and we celebrated then, and on my birthday. This year seems not to be going to plan... There appears to be stress and conflict already over what is happening, who is bringing what, who wants what, the list goes on.... The husband now wants me to delete his families numbers from my phone as i cannot do right for doing wrong... It is now only the 19th December and we have another six days to go... For those of you having stress in your build up to Christmas, here are two of my suggestions as to how to survive it... Focus on What You Enjoy about Christmas - If you’re anticipating a stressful Christmas, acknowledge it, and try to remind yourself that you’re not alone. Most families struggle at this time of year. Try to focus on an element of Christmas you do enjoy. Remember that nobody is perfect and it is only one day. Develop New Traditions - If you have joined a family, like I did 9 years ago, suggest new traditions. Try to blend the old with the new. Do not drink too much!! - it might seem a good way to get through the season, but really, it is unlikely to present the best you to everyone and can be embaressing afterwards! Finally - Good Luck!!

Another Empty Nest September 2019

Wow... this last few weeks has gone in a flash! My second son, who moved back home from London in February, has now moved into his own little house which he has bought with his girlfriend just 9 miles away... - I did want him to move to the same road, but her family live near by in the town they have moved to, and son 2 is happy to go with the flow... I really did not expect to have this empty nest feeling all over again, but he has been gone for 15 days today and i am still going into his bedroom to have a little cry... I am missing him being here - I miss having that daily contact with him, when he comes in from work, what he wants to eat, how his day was, what his plans are for the evening....and i suppose, not being the most important part of his life anymore - he would stay at his girlfriends a lot of the time when he was home, but he has not been back home except for his step sister's birthday..... We keep saying we will take some clothes over or some of his furniture - but no... they do not want it yet... they are busying themselves with starting their own lives and decorating first. Having said that, we have been over three times and they have been here once - but it is not the same... I feel quite bereft - although it is not the first time this son has left home - he did leave when he was 16 years old and knew everything - he moved in with his father, who was always more of his friend than a parent, and at home it was difficult, my mother was staying with us at that time recuperating from a complicated fracture and high emotive states as her husband had died only weeks before... Our relationship was very fractured for a long time, but once he moved on to music college when he was 18, he seemed more mature and more able to have a conversation with me without looking like teenagers do - with that look of disdain as if we know nothing!! I feel now that i am missing out... Gone are those lovely long university holidays, the long Christmas holidays, deadlines to get work in and panicking with only good old mum to help and get him organised and proof read!! Feeling wanted and needed... This time, we spent a long time chatting, walking, rebuilding our relationship as adults and becoming friends... It seems like it was only yesterday when this little mixed up soul came into my world and it’s at that that point the ‘letting go’ all started; as soon as my little treasure was born in March 1994 - if he had been born before his brother, there would have been a bigger gap between them, as he was very challenging at times, but i loved him and laughed with him so much! This time of year will be very poignant for many parents as their little ones start on their journey to nursery school, messy club, mother and toddlers, primary school, secondary school, their first term at college then university then to embark on their first career in the huge world whilst our world seems somehow to have become a little emptier and smaller without them... I miss the times when they were little and i could protect them from everything, and they believed in father Christmas and that i could fix everything... All the time i have prepared them for the world, now he has gone, and although I am sad, i think the greatest gift we can give our children is to ‘let them go’ – allow them to make mistakes, let them fail, let them fall and scrape their knees, let them know it is ok to do this. It’s all part of learning and growing and achieving the success that is around the corner for them. But what about us? - are we ever prepared as parents especially mothers to ‘let your little ones go’? Are you prepared for the heartache and the pain along the way? Nothing really prepares for you that loss, that empty chair at the dinner table, the tidy bedroom, the quiet house and the empty washing basket. - the washing basket was always empty as the clothes were always on the bedroom floor even at age 25!!! - these signs all tell you that, ‘You’re done, you’re job is over.’ BUT it never is – your children will always need you, you will always be their parents – all that’s happened is your role has changed. I wasn’t prepared for the fact the family unit meant so much.... both my boys and my step daughter all love the traditions we hold together, the family meals, the walks, the days out. When it came to the ‘last supper’ I really wished I had organised more of these as family meals became a rarity. I think one of the biggest shifts for me is the change in roles - i still have my step daughter at home half the time, but i feel very empty - what am i supposed to do as a parent now? I probably cramp both the boys style as i text and call them most days, i am constantly checking that they are both ok as i worry they will think i do not care... We all want to be amazing parents and for our children to experience magical childhoods but somehow this isn’t always the case. For me, i always feel extremely guilty that the marriage with their father broke down, and i tried to rekindle it many times unsuccessfully - i tried to find a surrogate father for the boys, but in the end, i was enough for them - it was military precision getting them up, organised, breakfasted and out of the door into the car every morning and the same in reverse plus after school clubs as i was working full time, i remember not sitting down much at all as i would fall asleep! I did not want a divorce, i wanted the happy ever after, but that wasn't possible first time around.... However, now, i realise that i was pretty much the best mum and friend that i could be - my children all tolerate my phone calls and texts, my oldest son tolerates my monthly visits across the other side of the country keeping him organised and taking food parcels.... Now, i feel that i was and am a great mum - i am kind to myself - parenting is not easy for anyone and does not come with an instruction guide - though these days Google or Alexa will always help - I did my very best with what i had - i tried not to make the mistakes my mother made - though probably made far more of my own.... So, with both boys flown, and one still half home, i feel i should celebrate - though perhaps not quite yet as i am still pretty sad... I am so lucky, as i found love again once the boys had left home the first time - my husband is very understanding of my foibles trying to be a great mum and step mum - he does tell me to step back and let them be - i will try not to be as invasive, but sometimes, you are busy clutching straws waiting for a reason to talk to one or the other - Hold your children in the palm of your hand as if they were a butterfly, let them fly and they will always come back - Xmas now, is the time when they are all home and we enjoy our shared history, this time son 2 was only home 7 months, but i will miss him again until we redraw the lines of our relationship....

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road....

Tonight, 17th August 2019, marks a milestone in our family lives. My husband Neil, is taking a giant leap for him, and for us as a family, in ending his association with what has been the District Venue since 2004 in Liverpool. For the last thirty years, he has worked at the Picket, which more recently, evolved into the District. Thirty years is a long time - and this decision has been a long time coming, and cannot come soon enough for us all as a family. My husband, Neil, worked at the Picket when it was at it's inception along with his colleague Phil. They were only in their early twenties and finding their way. Phil was the front man, Neil preferred to work behind the scenes, booking the bands, learning the back line, and managing the venue. https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/04/290081.html?c=on https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/stars-kit-out-the-picket-3558564 The Picket building was finally sold by the trade union in 2004, and Neil and Phil found a venue which was in the Baltic Triangle to continue a venue for bands as the Picket had been. Unfortunately, one night, during a drunken social night, Phil was abusive to a Jewish MP who was with them. In that one moment, everything changed for the Picket/District and for Phil and Neil. As Phil had courted the limelight for so many years, the newspapers had no mercy and he was plastered all over the Liverpool Echo. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/picket-founder-phil-hayes-fined-3324390 Liverpool Council immediately rescinded their funding for the venue, and Neil, who had worked full time since the venue's inception, was no longer employed. Colleagues all over Liverpool knew of the situation... it was an extremely trying time for all concerned... Phil was unwell. Neil was in the middle of a relationship breaking down and losing his employment was the icing on the cake. He continued to work at the District, but as a self employed sound musician as Jayne and her partner, Eric had now taken over the bar from the Phil and Neil, and were booking club nights to bring in a younger crowd with more available money. There was much angst, but Phil was not well enough to properly challenge this, and Neil was caring for his young daughter with a limited income and did not want to be involved in going against the hand that feeds. Neil was pushed further and further into a corner, but jobs as sound engineers are few and far between, he could no longer travel to festivals or tour Europe as he had family commitments... Moving the clock forward two years, i popped up on the horizon, we have not looked back, were married in 2017, and do everything together The future is positive..... I retired three years ago, and have been waiting for this night ever since. This is the happy ever after :D

Home is where the heart is.

I have just come back from my monthly visit to my eldest son and my best friend. They both live in Essex. Essex is where i lived with no desire to leave from 1991 - 2014. Circumstances often beyond our control cause us to move, and hard as it seems to be initially, we resettle in our new homes.... My house is a shrine to my homes. There's a sunset reflection outside my bedroom door when Alex's bedroom door is open in our current home, But i remember the sunshine in Essex, as well as in Broadgreen where i grew up as the sun hid behind the houses in the next road - lots of three bedroom semi's of the bay window variety... The sunshine in Belsize Park where i spent my first year as a grown up, away from Liverpool, learning how to be independent... Always our memories of home are when we are in a high emotive state and why we can recall them to clearly. The nurses home in Epsom, where i homed my skills and became a registered nurse, my memories again, are of the sunshine and lying outside in the sunshine with t shirts and shorts - something that seemed alien to me, as it was not considered the thing to do in the big city... My mother would certainly have given me something to do, to prevent me sitting in the garden! Brighton was another sunshiny memory, the beaches, the fun as a single young thing, newly qualified, parties and discos... Tillingham was the sunniest of my memories and when the boys were tiny, we enjoyed summers walking down to the sea wall, taking picnics, looking at where the hole at the side of the lane was for the route to "neverland" Many happy times. I considered every one of those places my home at one time or another, whether it was for months or years. For many people, their home is part of their self-definition, which is why we do things like decorate our houses and take care of our lawns. As this is a particularly wet summer, I am cutting the lawns and digging up weeds every five days - it was every two weeks down south! These large patches of vegetation serve little real purpose, but they are part of a public face people put on, displaying their home as an extension of themselves. It's hardly rare, though, in our mobile modern society, to accumulate several different homes over the course of a lifetime. So how does that affect our conception of ourselves? For better or worse, the place where we grew up usually retains an iconic status, Liverpool to me, is not the prettiest of places, but it holds its own - i love it. However, whilst it's human nature to want to have a place to belong, we also want to be special, and defining yourself as someone who once lived somewhere more interesting than the Rocket in the 1970's, is one way to do that. you might choose to identify as a person who used to live somewhere else, because it makes you distinctive. I know full well that living in London for four years doesn't make me a Cockney, but that doesn't mean there's not a fridge magnet of London on the fridge! We may use our homes to help distinguish ourselves, but the dominant Western viewpoint is that regardless of location, the individual remains unchanged. In the modern Western world, perceptions of home are consistently coloured by factors of economy and choice. There's an expectation in our society that you'll grow up, buy a house, get a mortgage, and jump through all the financial hoops that home ownership entails, It's true that part of why my home feels like mine is because I'm the one who always paid for it! not my parents, though my parents helped... That kind of economic system is predicated on marketing people to live in a different home, or a better home than the one they're in. I know the most important thing for me was to buy a house and get on the property ladder - I bought my first house at the age of 21 - i needed that financial security, even then! It is something i always instilled in my children - and my second son is about to embark on his first house at the age of 25 years with a hefty deposit paid for by us, to help him along his journey. The endless options of when to sell and buy the next house can leave us constantly wondering if there isn't some place with better schools, a better neighbourhood, more green space, and on and on. We may leave a pretty good thing behind, hoping that the next place will be even more desirable. Not always knowing the area we are moving to can be a pot luck situation, but property will never go down in value (as my mother continually instilled into me - buy bricks and mortar!) - she was right! In some ways, this mobility has become part of the natural course of a life. The script is a familiar one: you move out of your parents' house, maybe go to nursing college and university as i did, get a place of your own, get a bigger house when you have children, then a smaller one when the children leave home, then in my case, a bigger one with the second family and the children returning home on boomerangs, It is not a bad thing, and i know we are thinking bungalow land is only 15 years down the road!! But in spite of everything, in spite of the mobility, individualism, and the economy, on some level we do recognise the importance of place. The first thing we ask someone when we meet them, after their name, is where they are from, we recognise lilts in accents, We ask, not just to place a pushpin for them in our mental map of acquaintances, but because we recognise that the answer tells us something important about them. My answer for "where are you from?" is usually Liverpool, but 29 years away... If home is where the heart is, then by its most literal definition, my home is wherever I am. I've always been liberal in my use of the word. If when i was younger i was going to visit my mum, it was described as "Im going home to see mum" - even though i lived down south... Memories, too, are cued by the physical environment. When you visit a place you used to live, these cues can cause you to revert back to the person you were when you lived there. The rest of the time, different places are kept largely separated in our minds. Decompartmentalised - The more connections our brain makes to something, the more likely our everyday thoughts are to lead us there. But connections made in one place can be isolated from those made in another, so we may not think as often about things that happened for the few months we lived someplace else. Looking back, many of my homes feel more like places borrowed than places possessed, and while I sometimes sift through mental souvenirs of my time there, in the scope of a lifetime, I was only a tourist. I can't possibly live everywhere I once labelled as my home, but I can frame these places on my walls. My decorations on the fridge and postcards in the study, serve as a reminder of the more adventurous person I was in my teens, the more carefree person i was in London and before i had children. No one is ever free from their social or physical environment. And whether or not we are always aware of it, a home is a home because it blurs the line between the self and the surroundings, and challenges the line we try to draw between who we are and where we are. When i visit my son and best friend, it is a journey i am so used to, i enjoy it, i remember all the fun times we had whilst the children were growing up, but i love coming back home. Home is where the heart is.

Friendships

Like many women in their fifties, i have had many friendships, many more acquaintances, but only three best friends in my long life! Friendships do come and go, often, we over associate with old friends to maintain the connection of our joined history. As a child, i did have a best friend at infants school - her name was Heather - she lived on Valencia Road near Picton Clock but left after Top Infants to attend Belvedere School. I suppose i went through school in a bit of a daydream - so much drama was happening at home with my mother and father arguing daily (which i thought was completely normal) - then being sent to my sister most weekends in Woolton, then Leigh, then Skelmersdale - i didn't really feel very "connected" to other children at school. In the midsummer of 1974, my mother moved to Shaftsebury in Dorset. She secured a nursing post running a district nursing service - she had looked at a map, and felt that it was near Bath, Avon, which is where her second husband had taken my half brother. I knew nothing about it as usual, i was put on a train to Bristol, I dont remember saying goodbye to my father, (who remained at the Liverpool house) - they were divorced by this time.... and mum's second husband ( My dad was the third of five), collected me from Bristol train station and took me to Bath. I was used to going to spend summers with him - i called him "Uncle Joe". I recall going to a junior school in Bath for a week, then my mum collected me, and took me to a B&B on a farm in the Countryside - I then attended the village school for the remainder of the summer term with the farmers son and we were in the same class, though he was two years older than me. My father came for us and we came back to Liverpool at the end of August. I was told that mum couldn't sell the house - my dad had painted the hall white and it was so bright as i walked in. Back at the local junior school, i simply moved up to the next class - nobody seemed to ask any questions - maybe they did, but i was not made aware of it. High School was the same, i was friendly with children, i was the "sporting third" in any given group - i wonder if i really knew how to be a friend - nobody was allowed to come home for tea or a sleep over... It was an odd childhood existence really, i was always friendly with other children, i found i could make them laugh - something i have always relied upon as a coping mechanism, but, on reflection, i was very mixed up, lonely and unhappy underneath. I learned to hide it well, as mum would say i was selfish!.... "after all ive done for you how can you be unhappy??" a wallop or something thrown at me would follow... Whilst seeing Uncle Joe and my brother Tony, i had friends in Bath - Zoe and Leah and i spent many summers with them - all ancient history now, but i remember those times clearly. Friendships came and went in Liverpool once i became more aware of what they entailed and how to keep in touch with friends without my mum sabotaging them - i found them unique really, and my first real friends were Ondrea and Carol. Ondrea lived in the same road as me, and her mum, like mine, was divorced. In the mid 1970's, very few families had divorced parents, so my mum, and Ondrea's mum, (Josie), stuck together and forged an unlikely friendship that lasted from their thirties until my mum died last year age 90! Carol was very sensible, we went to junior school together, and although we went to different secondary schools, we remained close friends as we attended youth group and Brownies, then Girl Guides and finally Rangers together. After i left home for London, we stayed in touch on and off through our parents - Carol's mum lived in the next road so we would try and plan visits to coincide with each other. We remain friends. My third best friend is Nikki. Nikki and i became friends due to our children having difficulties at school. Our friendship is unique also, because we needed each other. We chose to become friends, to enable each other as well as our children. We worked together, holidayed together and have a friendship that has endured my marriage breakdown, my moving 250 miles away, but we remain close friends. These friendships often begin in the playground or nursery with your children, and because you want your children to be friends, they endure. Some friendships change as we grow older, but with my friends, there remains a consistency. In the hierarchy of relationships, friendships are at the bottom. Romantic partners, husbands/wives, parents, children - all of these relationships come first. Unlike the more formal roles of family relationships, friendships lack a formal structure - with friendships, you make up the rules as you go along - i have friends whom i have not contacted for months, but i know if i call them, i will talking to them for hours as if we have not spent time apart... Our lives are busy that it can be difficult to make time to keep in touch on a daily basis, but that should not deflect from the bond of friendship. People want three things from friendship:- Somebody to talk to, someone to depend on, and someone to enjoy. These expectations remain the same, but the circumstances under which they’re accomplished change. The voluntary nature of friendship makes it subject to life’s whims in a way that the more formal relationships aren’t. In adulthood, as people grow up and move away to start their own adventures, friendships are the relationships most likely to fail. You’re stuck with your family, and you prioritise your husband / wife / family / mother. However, where you could pop over to Carol/Nikki/Ondrea's house to see them, real life now gets in the way, and you find that they are busy - particularly now we are all in our fifties - our children are grown but some have not flown the nest yet, and parents are now taking up much time. The fabulous thing about friendship however, is that friends are friends because they want to be - they choose each other - from school, to old age, friendship continues to give health benefits both mental and physical. My mothers friendship with Josie - Ondrea's mother, endured over 50 years - they laughed, argued, had fun. During young adulthood, friendships become more complex and meaningful. In childhood, friends are mostly other children who are fun to play with; in adolescence, there’s a lot more self-disclosure and support between friends, but adolescents are still discovering their identity, and learning what it means to be intimate. Their friendships help them do that. In adolescence, people have a tractable self, they change so much between the ages of 16 - 23 - By young adulthood, people are usually a little more secure in themselves, more likely to seek out friends who share their values on the important things, and let the little things be. Friendship networks are naturally denser when you are a young adult - i left Liverpool and moved to London to attend nursing college and university, You spend so much time living and working in that environment that many friendships are made. As we enter middle age, it is more difficult to manage friendships - there are more demands on time - with work and attending school plays for children and grandchildren that take up time rather than catching up with friends. As we move through life, we make and try and keep friends - Some of us make friends wherever they go, and may have more friendly acquaintances than deep friendships. Others are discerning, meaning they have a few best friends they stay close with over the years, but the deep investment means that the loss of one of those friends would be devastating. The most flexible are the acquisitive—people who stay in touch with old friends, but continue to make new ones as they move through the world. Some people do manage to stay friends for life, or at least for many years - my mother used to say "I wish i had a Nikki" - i am so lucky to be able to maintain this friendship... but what is it that predicts who will last through the maelstrom of middle age and be there for the silver age of friendship? Whether people hold onto their old friends or grow apart seems to come down to dedication and communication. The more you’ve invested in a friendship already, the more likely you are to keep it going. There are different levels of maintaining a relationship, and digital communication works better for some than for others. The first is just keeping a relationship alive at all, just to keep it in existence. Saying “Happy Birthday” on Facebook, liking an instagram post, emailing - these can keep relationships going but only mechanically - Next is to keep a relationship at a stable level of closeness. Social media makes it possible to maintain more friendships, but more shallowly. And it can also keep relationships on "life support" that would (and maybe should) otherwise have died out. What is completely bizzare - is facebook - the fact that i have Heather on my facebook, who i was friends with when i was 7 years old and have not seen since, but i have no connection to her current life - and going back forty plus years is now on my facebook - weird when really, in normal life before the internet, apart from living in Valencia Road, she should be a memory to me - why would i care about her children winning a cup in the sports day at school - She actually does not have any children, but why should i know that? - in this era of mechanical friendships with facebook and prior to this with Friends reunited, these very old childhood relationships have never timed out because they are there in our newsfeed though should really be a memory. By middle-age, people have accumulated many friends from different jobs, different cities, and different activities, who don’t know each other at all. These friendships fall into three categories: active, dormant, and commemorative. Friendships are active if you are in touch regularly, you could call on them for emotional support and it wouldn’t be weird, if you pretty much know what’s going on with their lives at this moment. A dormant friendship has history, maybe you haven’t talked in a while, but you still think of that person as a friend. You’d be happy to hear from them and if you were in their city, you’d definitely meet up. A commemorative friend is not someone you expect to hear from, or see, maybe ever again. But they were important to you at an earlier time in your life, and you think of them fondly for that reason, and still consider them a friend. Facebook makes things weird by keeping these friends continually in your peripheral vision. Perhaps friends are more willing to forgive long lapses in communication because they’re feeling life’s velocity acutely too. It’s sad, that we stop relying on our friends as much when we grow up or move away, but it allows for a different kind of relationship, based on a mutual understanding of each other’s human limitations. It’s not ideal, but it’s real. Friendship is a relationship with no strings attached except the ones you choose to tie, one that’s just about being there, as best as you can.